Systems and Methods for Process Design and Analysis

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for analyzing one or more processes, each process in the one or more processes resulting in a respective product, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores instructions, which when executed by a first device, cause the first device to: (A) maintain a hypergraph data store comprising, for each respective process in the one or more processes, a respective plurality of versions of the respective process, each respective version comprising: a hypergraph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by edges in a plurality of edges, wherein each respective node in the plurality of nodes represents a respective stage in the respective process, a node in the plurality of nodes is associated with (i) a set of parameterized resource inputs to the respective stage in the corresponding process, and/or (ii) a set of parameterized resource outputs to the respective stage in the corresponding process, and each respective edge in the plurality of edges specifies that the set of parameterized resource outputs of a node in the plurality of nodes is included in the set of parameterized resource inputs of at least one other node in the plurality of nodes; (B) maintain a run data store, wherein the run data store comprises a plurality of process runs, each process run comprising (i) an identification of a version in the plurality of versions for a process in the one or more processes, (ii) values for the respective set of parameterized resource inputs of a first node in the hypergraph of the respective version, (iii) the respective set of parameterized resource outputs of the first node in the hypergraph of the respective version, and (iv) obtained values of at least one output property of a parameterized resource output in the respective set of parameterized resource outputs of the first node in the hypergraph of the respective version; (C) execute instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes; and (D) determine, by comparing a set of values for one or more properties of one or more parameterized resource inputs and/or obtained values for one or more properties of one or more parameterized resource outputs in one or more process versions of one or more process runs of a subset of processes in the run data store using a multivariate analysis technique, whether a variable present in the one or more process runs has a causal effect on one or more properties of each respective product of the subset of processes.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises: executing a data driver for a respective process in the one or more processes, the data driver including: instructions for receiving a dataset for the respective process; and instructions for processing the dataset.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the instructions for processing the dataset comprise: instructions for parsing the dataset to thereby obtain (i) an identification of a process run in the run data store and (ii) input and/or output property values associated with a respective set of parameterized resource inputs and/or outputs of a first node in the hypergraph of the respective process for the process run, and instructions for populating the input and/or output property values of parameterized resource inputs and/or outputs of the first node in the run data store with the parsed values.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data comprise instructions for generating or changing one or more parameterized resource inputs, parameterized resource outputs, process runs, stages, nodes, edges, input properties, output properties, input specification limits of input properties, output specification limits of output properties and/or obtained values of input or output properties present in the run data store based on the acquired data.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for reformatting data types present in the run data store.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for changing a storage medium or a storage format used by the run data store.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for storing the acquired data.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for performing an analysis of the one or more processes using the acquired data.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions for performing the analysis comprises root cause analysis, correlation analysis, or a feature selection technique.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for initiating an alert when a specific condition arises in a process in the one or more processes.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes comprises instructions for initiating instructions on the first device responsive to the acquired data.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processes comprises a plurality of processes.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more versions comprises a plurality of versions.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processes comprises a single process.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more versions comprises a single version.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein an input property in the one or more input properties associated with a parameterized resource input in the set of parameterized resource inputs to the respective stage in the respective process includes an input specification limit.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein an output property in the one or more output properties associated with a parameterized resource output in the set of parameterized resource outputs to the respective stage in the respective process includes an output specification limit.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein at least one parameterized resource input in the set of parameterized resource inputs is associated with one or more input properties.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the one or more input properties includes an input specification limit.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more output properties consists of a single output property and wherein the single output property is an identifier.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein a first version and a second version in a respective plurality of versions for a process in the one or more processes differ from each other in a number of nodes, a process stage label of a node, a parameterized resource input in a set of parameterized resource inputs, or a parameterized resource output in a set of parameterized resource outputs.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of parameterized resource inputs for a node in the plurality of nodes of a hypergraph for a process version in the respective plurality of process versions comprises a first and second parameterized resource input, the first parameterized resource input specifying a first resource and is associated with a first input property, and the second parameterized resource input specifying a second resource and is associated with a second input property, wherein the first input property is different than the second input property.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 , wherein the first input property is a viscosity value, a purity value, composition value, a temperature value, a weight value, a mass value, a volume value, or a batch identifier of the first resource.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 , wherein the first resource is a single resource or a composite resource.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of parameterized resource inputs for a first node in the plurality of nodes of a hypergraph of a process version in the respective plurality of process versions comprises a first parameterized resource input, the first parameterized resource input specifying a process condition associated with the corresponding stage of the process associated with the first node.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25 , wherein the process condition comprises a temperature, an exposure time, a mixing time, a type of equipment, or a batch identifier.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further stores instructions for maintaining one or more interfaces, wherein each respective interface in the one or more interfaces acquires data for the run data store from one or more corresponding instruments.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27 , wherein a respective interface in the one or more interfaces directs a corresponding instrument to acquire data for the run data store.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27 , wherein a respective interface in the one or more interfaces directs a corresponding instrument to acquire values of input or output properties.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27 , wherein a respective interface in the one or more interfaces acquires data for the run data store from one or more corresponding instruments across a network connection.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further stores instructions for maintaining one or more interfaces for effecting process control, wherein each respective interface in the one or more interfaces controls one or more corresponding instruments associated with a process in the one or more processes.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 31 , wherein a first interface in the one or more interfaces controls a first instrument through the specification of a process condition associated with the corresponding stage of the corresponding process.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first device is a single computer system, a plurality of networked computer systems, or a virtual machine.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein a node in the plurality of nodes is not associated with a set of parameterized resource inputs.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein a node in the plurality of nodes is not associated with a set of parameterized resource outputs.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein two or more nodes in the plurality of nodes are each associated with a corresponding set of parameterized resource inputs.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein two or more nodes in the plurality of nodes are each associated with a corresponding set of parameterized resource outputs.

38. A computer system, comprising: one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs stored in the memory for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for: (A) maintaining a hypergraph data store comprising, for each respective process in a set of one or more processes, a respective plurality of versions of the respective process, each process in the one or more processes resulting in a respective product, each respective version comprising: a hypergraph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by edges in a plurality of edges, wherein each respective node in the plurality of nodes represents a respective stage in the respective process, a node in the plurality of nodes is associated with (i) a set of parameterized resource inputs to the respective stage in the corresponding process, and/or (ii) a set of parameterized resource outputs to the respective stage in the corresponding process, and each respective edge in the plurality of edges specifies that the set of parameterized resource outputs of a node in the plurality of nodes is included in the set of parameterized resource inputs of at least one other node in the plurality of nodes; (B) maintaining a run data store, wherein the run data store comprises a plurality of process runs, each process run comprising (i) an identification of a version in the plurality of versions for a process in the one or more processes, (ii) values for the respective set of parameterized resource inputs of a first node in the hypergraph of the respective version, (iii) the respective set of parameterized resource outputs of the first node in the hypergraph of the respective version, and (iv) obtained values of at least one output property of a parameterized resource output in the respective set of parameterized resource outputs of the first node in the hypergraph of the respective version; (C) executing instructions for acquiring and processing data for the one or more processes; and (D) determine, by comparing a set of values for one or more properties of one or more parameterized resource inputs and/or obtained values for one or more properties of one or more parameterized resource outputs in one or more process versions of one or more process runs of a subset of processes in the run data store using a multivariate analysis technique, whether a variable present in the one or more process runs has a causal effect on one or more properties of each respective product of the subset of processes.

39. The computer system of claim 38 , wherein the computer system is in the form of a single computer system, a plurality of networked computer systems, or a virtual machine.